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A First Look at Propositions on the California November 2018 Ballot

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There are eleven ballot measures for voter consideration on the 2018 general election ballot in California. Three were placed on the ballot by the legislature, the rest via signature gatherers (mostly) paid for groups with an interest in shaping the legal and political landscape. 

This column includes my initial takes on what’s on the statewide ballot. Snark is included at no extra charge, mostly to keep readers interested. And there are a couple of measures I’m unsure about how I feel.

There will be more detailed analyses over the next six weeks, prior to ballots being mailed out. In early October, the San Diego Free Press will post its Progressive Voter Guide, with the endorsements (or not) of our editorial board.

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Senator McCain: Is the Enemy of My Enemy My Friend?

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A major public figure has succumbed to brain cancer. And now another round of the American bloodsport of ‘who can be shittiest?’ is underway.  

A petulant President Donald Trump has made it clear that Senator John McCain’s death will not bring an end to his scorn. The typical chief executive statement of condolence was squashed. A Tweet and an Instagram post (featuring a photo of Trump) will have to suffice. The flag atop the White House is no longer at half-mast.

History is being re-written to unabashedly sing the praises of “the maverick” and “the last real Republican.” McCain’s existence, as is true with most larger than life figures, was more complicated than that. It is, alas, too easy to fixate on some good deeds when the political world is awash with evil. The late Senator’s empathetic qualities do not negate his willingness to follow his party’s descent into madness most of the time.   [Read more…]

Protesters in Downtown San Diego and All Fifty States Object to Trump’s Supreme Court Choice

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One hundred ninely+ locations in all fifty states hosted events protesting the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Sunday.

Led by Move On, NARAL, and the People’s Defense Coalition, more than 70 activist organizations endorsed the rallies and marches.

The event in San Diego was held at Waterfront Park on the west side of the County Administration Building. Roughly 300 people attended, cheering on speakers and marching thru downtown afterward.
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A Big Blue Wave Is Building In San Diego | Progressive Activist Calendar August 24 – September 3, 2018

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The stretch run for general elections is supposed to start after Labor Day. At least that’s the way it used to be. Activists countywide aren’t waiting for Septemeber this year. Instead, they’re canvassing, phone-banking, and organizing at a level I’ve never seen before. My first campaign volunteer work was for Senator Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 presidential run, and while I’ve taken a year off now and then, suffice it to say I’ve seen a few elections. This one is special.

There are 17 events for progressive-leaning candidates (that I’m aware of) that are directly campaign-related in this week’s calendar. Best of all, there’s a healthy mix of bigger and lesser name candidates: Monica Montgomery (SD City Council D4),  Dr. Akilah Weber (La Mesa City Council), Dr. Jen Campbell (SD City Council D2), Ammar Campa-Najjar (50th Congressional District), Consuelo Martinez (Escondido City Council D1), Tommy Hough (SD City Council D6), Nathan Fletcher (County Supervisor D4), Mike Levin (49th Congressional District), Alan Geraci (State Assembly 75th), Michelle Gomez (County Supervisor D5), Jeff Griffith (State Senate 38th), Tazheen Nizam (Vista City Council D4), and James Elia (State Assembly 71st). Do check out these candidates at the links embedded in their listings.

Lest we become solely focused on electoral politics, there are three activist events that jump out at me as especially important. The UNITE for Justice rally (Sunday, August 26) to protest the runaway train that is Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court,  the National City Council Meeting (September 4) provides yet another opportunity to keep the pressure up over the death of Earl McNeil at the hands of police, and the September 8th Rise for Climate Action rally at the Civic Center (September 8) is a necessary reminder of the incredible damage the Trump administration is doing to the environment.

Let’s do this thing, folks! The persistence of our resistance is starting to pay off.   [Read more…]

Will the GOP Send ‘Poor’ ‘Dead’ Duncan Hunter Back to DC to Represent East San Diego County?

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Now that Congressman Duncan Hunter and wife Margaret have been indicted, Republicans are working hard on formulating a strategy to keep his District 50 seat red.

While the Representative from Alpine has been full of bluster, anybody who’s actually read the 60 counts against him knows he’s a dead man walking. All that’s left for him to do is work out a plea deal that is consummated after November 6. Oh, and hope his wife doesn’t escalate expression of her rage beyond the stony silence on display at their arraignment.

There were about a hundred or so people on hand to witness Hunter walk into the San Diego Federal Courthouse. His dash from the curb to the door was more like a circus parade than a perp walk, as demonstrators from various Indivisible chapters waved signs, wore bunny ears (in honor of the plane tickets purchased for the family’s pet rabbit), and chanted “lock him up.”   [Read more…]

Read Duncan Hunter’s Claims of Innocence Alongside Snippets From the Indictment

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I give Congressman Duncan and Margaret Hunter credit: They’ve got some kind of nerve.

Hunter’s campaign has published a lengthy statement calling the effort to indict him a “witch-hunt.”

I’ve broken his statement up into small bits, juxtaposed with paragraphs from the 48-page indictment. Sometimes the two pieces are related. Sometimes they’re not. It’s a long, but worthy read. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll wonder how this guy looks in the mirror in the morning.

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Rep. Duncan Hunter Goes Rogue, Refuses to Step Down From House Committee Assignments

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Bonus: Some Juicy Snips from the Indictment

Congressman Duncan Hunter is refusing to step down from his assignments on the Armed Services, Education, and the Workforce and Transportation committees, according to Politico.

Following the release of a 48-page indictment, House Majority Leader Paul Ryan urged the 50th District Congressman to resign his committee assignments until the matter was resolved.

Republicans in the House of Representatives are now planning to take action to remove Hunter in a steering committee meeting slated for September 4. The full GOP conference is expected to ratify this the following day, and shortly thereafter it will go to the House floor, where it will be made official.
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Rep. Duncan Hunter Indicted for Diverting Campaign Funds for Personal Use

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Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter and his wife, Margaret are expected to be arraigned on Thursday morning in Federal court.

A 48-page grand jury indictment accuses the couple of diverting more than $250,000 in campaign funds to family vacations, school tuition, theater tickets and other personal expenses.

They are facing charges of wire fraud, falsifying records, campaign finance violations, and conspiracy, resulting from a more than year-long investigation by the Department of Justice.   [Read more…]

Cash Bail Goes Away, Reform Flops in California

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Imagine California’s system for handling people accused of crimes embodied as a statue of bounty hunter Dwayne “ Dog” Chapman. Senate Bill 10 was supposed to make it go away.

What happened instead was the statue was gone, but the base upon which it stood remained intact. As of October 2019, the old system of requiring cash or a bail bondsman’s assurance as a condition for pre-trial release will go away.

I won’t miss the seedy buildings downtown or what they stand for. People with the means to post cash bail get it refunded if they’re found not guilty or the case is dismissed. If you’re not so wealthy, you get stuck with the bondsman’s 10% fee, regardless.   [Read more…]

Trump Endorses in 49th, Russian Hackers in Action. Keep Your Eye on the Prize

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Republican Diane Harkey, the Darrell Issa-endorsed candidate in the 49th Congressional District received the blessings of President Donald Trump via Twitter late yesterday.

Nobody should be happier about this news than her Democratic opponent, Mike Levin, although his campaign showed remarkable restraint in responding to the announcement.

Polling by the Public Policy Institute of California three months ago showed just 39% of voters in the two counties included in the district approve of the job Trump is doing as president. Hillary Clinton won the 49th by seven points over Trump, and Issa’s re-election margin was the closest of any House incumbent in 2016.
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Is Bank of America ‘Just Following Orders’ by Asking Citizenship Status Questions?

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It’s not just ICE and local bigots harassing immigrants and people who they think might be immigrants anymore.

Activists are claiming U.S. financial institutions, encouraged by the Department of Treasury, are including citizenship status as part of the Customer Identification Program provision of the USA Patriot Act, even though it is not legally required.

What this means in practical terms is that existing customers, like Josh Collins and wife Jessica Salazar Collins who thought envelopes from Bank of America were junk mail, are having their accounts suspended until such time as questions about citizenship are answered.
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California Kids Meal Soda Ban: Would You Like Water, Milk, or Truth With That?

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If you were anywhere near the State Approved media lately, no doubt you heard about California’s upcoming ban on restaurants serving sodas to children. It must be true because Faux News and The Hill (among others) have made this assertion in headlines.

Except that it’s not true. Today’s headlines are based on an August 16 story in the Sacramento Bee which said no such thing   [Read more…]

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